Alright now it is on to Miami and Rafa is going to get back to winning there ;) Vamos Rafa :worship:

veyonce

03-19-2006, 02:40 AM

I hope his right ankle will recover too and the blisters on his left hand... He can also take a rest to prepare for Miami..

GonzoFan

03-19-2006, 02:43 AM

Good Luck to Rafa in Miami !!!!! :bigclap:

VAMOS !!!!!

:worship: :worship: :worship:

lilfairyprincess

03-19-2006, 02:48 AM

Yea he's picked up enough points in indian wells(we don't want him to have to defend TOO many points next year do we ;)??)

hopefully with a week's break he can rest his ankle a bit more if it is bothering him at all (but i dont really think it is) and prepare to start edfending a mountain of points :scared:

vamos rafa in miami!!!! (and congratties on reaching semi final in indian wells :yeah: )

16681

03-19-2006, 03:24 AM

Yes that is the only thing bad about having a great year. The next year to defend those points you have to do as well or better :rolleyes: And I'm glad Rafa will get some time off. I :hearts: Rafa and want him to be well :hug:

mallorn

03-19-2006, 08:12 AM

Positive thinking is the key! :)

As lilfairyprincess said, it's good he reached the IW semis, it'll take some pressure of defending points in Miami off him. I'm sure he can do great as long as he's healthy.

VAMOS RAFA! :)

Björki

03-19-2006, 09:45 AM

Vamos Rafa :bounce:

MariaV

03-19-2006, 10:20 AM

The most important thing is to get to the European clay season healthy and with fresh mind, a lot to defend there, not even talking about RG.
VAMOS RAFAEL! :bigclap: :yippee: :bounce: :dance:

NaDALiTa

03-19-2006, 11:47 AM

i'm so happy Toni is back :woohoo: :woohoo: i'm sure Rafa will play like he did in Dubai...or even better !!!!
he'll rock da boat in miami ........vamooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo os

i have a dream.....Rafa win Miami beating Blake in the 1/2 and Federer in Final ;)

Clay and sucess are waiting for you in Europe !!! :kiss: :kiss:

khryss_20

03-19-2006, 12:15 PM

The most important thing is to get to the European clay season healthy and with fresh mind, a lot to defend there, not even talking about RG.
VAMOS RAFAEL! :bigclap: :yippee: :bounce: :dance:

yep yep i agree...lets all hope for good health for rafa not just for miami but for d clay court season as well...after all hes got tons of points to defend....of course ders no pressure rafa...

sonia

03-19-2006, 04:35 PM

¡¡Vamos Rafa!! :bigclap:

jenanun

03-19-2006, 08:24 PM

vamos rafa!!!!!!!

MariaV

03-20-2006, 02:03 PM

i have a dream.....Rafa win Miami beating Blake in the 1/2 and Federer in Final ;)

I'm happy with nadal's draw...it is a way better side of the draw to be in than the other one :eek: obviously it is not a given..but hopefully rafa will go far into the tournament :)

vamos rafa in miami '06 :bounce:

NaDALiTa

03-20-2006, 11:00 PM

that's too bad that Rafa plays Carlos in the 2nd round !!!!!! :(

NaDALiTa

03-20-2006, 11:00 PM

THANX GOD BLAKE WILL PLAY FEDERER UNTIL HE PLAYS NADAL :lol: :lol: :lol:

lilfairyprincess

03-20-2006, 11:19 PM

THANX GOD BLAKE WILL PLAY FEDERER UNTIL HE PLAYS NADAL :lol: :lol: :lol:

I KNOW!!! :haha:
i'm only really worrying about Ljubicic being in rafa's quarter (due to their close match in madrid) but rafa isnt injured this time so hopefully this time it won't be nearly as close!!

GonzoFan

03-21-2006, 01:25 AM

maybe Gonzo in the 4th round :bigcry: :bigcry: :bigcry:

veyonce

03-21-2006, 01:54 AM

but Rafa is part of his family :p

Uncle Toni needs to spend time with his own family, don't forget he has 3 very young kids and kids grow up very fast. IMO, Uncle Toni has already made very big sacrifices by missing out on watching his kids' growing up during the toddler stages. He deserves a break now and then to spend quality family time with them. Rafa may be his nephew but there's nothing like your own flesh and blood and Uncle Toni has already devoted almost a quarter of his life coaching Rafa.

Ti-Anne

03-21-2006, 07:55 PM

that's too bad that Rafa plays Carlos in the 2nd round !!!!!! :(

Sooooooo true !! :sad:

GonzoFan

03-22-2006, 11:55 PM

Carlos defeated Hanescu 5-7 7-5 6-4 and now will play Rafa in the second round

I KNOW!!! :haha:
i'm only really worrying about Ljubicic being in rafa's quarter (due to their close match in madrid) but rafa isnt injured this time so hopefully this time it won't be nearly as close!!

ljubicic doesn't worry me :) Rafa is better than last year on speed surfaces.....as far as i know Madrid's surface is speeder than Miami one .......so Rafa's lift will bounce higher and should more annoy Ljubo !!!!!

:yeah: vam :) s Rafa

mallorn

03-23-2006, 11:24 PM

From the official site:
An interview with:

RAFAEL NADAL

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How does it feel to be back here where things started for you at the Masters Series?

RAFAEL NADAL: What?

Q. Everything really started here for you.

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, is one of the best tournaments in the world for sure. I am happy first day here. My first tournament after the injury, I begin very well. Two semifinals, one champion. So I am happy first day here. I am with confidence. Maybe I am playing good. Last year I play the final here. It was my first Masters Series final. Was unbelievable tournament for me last year, that I lost against Roger in the final, but I play a very good match. I was winning two sets to love and 4‑1 in the third.

So I like a lot this tournament. Year before I won Federer, too, here. Every year I always play good here. Is a good tournament for me.

Q. How excited are you for your match tomorrow?

RAFAEL NADAL: Tomorrow is a difficult match. He knows me very, very good. I know him for sure, too.

But will be a difficult match, night match always. Is a night match. I need to play very good for try win this match, no?

But I have motivation.

Q. How hard, how difficult is it to play someone like Carlos who is such a close friend?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, he's my best friend in the tour, sure. No, I practice with him always in Mallorca. We have very good relation.

But, you know, in the court, he want to win, I want to win. Five minutes before the court we are very good friends. Five minutes after the court, we are very good friends. In the court, we respect ‑‑ I respect him, he respect me. But is the job, is the game, no?

Q. Can you talk a little bit about how your life maybe has changed since all your success last year. What's different?

RAFAEL NADAL: For me is the same, no. I have the same friends in Mallorca. I live in the same place. For me, all is the same. Just change one number, no, in the ranking.

Q. Has being more famous ‑‑

RAFAEL NADAL: Sure, I am little bit more famous, no, the people know me little bit more in Spain and outside in Spain, in some places, too.

But it's nice, no, the people. Always stay very nice with me. That's important, that's important for me.

Q. You've had trouble with Blake lately. He has now moved into the Top 10 in the world. What makes him such a difficult player?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, he is very good player. He's in a good moment. So when one player stay in a good moment with confidence, always is difficult. He play good, for sure. He can stay in the Top 10 because he play very good.

Q. Do you have any specific goals for this year?

RAFAEL NADAL: My best goal is stay here (smiling). After my injury, is very good stay here, no? My second goal is stay in the Masters Cup. So, I think I begin very well. I am No. 6 in the race now. That's very good because I just play three tournaments.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about Roger Federer's game and what you think it will take to beat him.

RAFAEL NADAL: What can I say? You know, you know, everybody know about his game, no? He's one of the best of history. He is very complete. He have all shots. So it is very difficult with him.

Q. A lot of people think that maybe you can be the one to figure him out?

RAFAEL NADAL: I beat him sometimes, no, but always is a very difficult match. And, for sure I can win, but everybody can win. But normally he is the best, no? And he is the best in the court, he is the best. And outside he is very good person, so that's good for the tennis.

Today’s the day that loyal NASDAQ-100 Open fans welcome back Rafael Nadal, the sensation of last year’s tournament, who came very close to beating defending champion Roger Federer in a breathtaking five-set final.

Make no mistake about it, "Rafa" remains as exciting as ever to the delight of fans around the world. He’s refreshing, impish, a wildly talented player, and always gives his all the minute he steps on a court.

In 2005, Nadal became the most successful teen in history by winning a record 11 titles – Costa Do Sauipe, Acapulco, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, Roland Garros, Bastad, Stuttgart, Montreal, Beijing and Madrid. And the best news of that weighty list was that the last three hard court events also signified his ability to win on a surface other than clay.

Of course, the 19-year Nadal, the reigning French Open champion, will enter the court with a bit of mixed feelings today as he is playing fellow Mallorcan Carlos Moya, a finalist here in 2003.

A former world No. 1 and 1998 French Open champion, the 29-year-old Moya has been an inspiration for Nadal – a player’s footsteps to follow. And indeed Nadal followed well last year when he was the last man standing at the French Open.

In their past three matches, Nadal has spent little time worrying about the fact that Moya has been a guiding light and gone about his business of being a tennis player. That strategy has led to Nadal having a 2-1 career edge over Moya.

If you want to know the tale of this match, just look at Nadal’s No. 2 ranking versus Moya’s current ranking of 35 and it’s probably all you’ll need to know.

The Mallorcan magic here in Miami today will belong to Nadal and not Moya. But be assured that these are two of the nicest guys on the tour and they’ll walk off-court as good buddies.
Too bad it's against Carlos :sad: but ...
http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/musik/k015.gif

VAMOS RAFA!

http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/musik/k015.gif

Bloodmoon

03-24-2006, 02:42 PM

Hi everyone!!

Bad news.... look at this http://media.putfile.com/Rafa-and-Maria-ick
is something i have found on other forums. It's a video with Rafa's training. At the end of it he looks at Maria Sharapova. And yes, he looked at her in that way. There is a girl who saw them and posted this:
"No....I am NOT just talking, girl.... Angry I WAS THERE.
It was AFTER this. She had to walk through his court to get to "out" and he stopped, watched her, walked up to the net to get closer to her, smiled A REALLY HUGE SMILE to try and get her attention, she ingored him as she got closer to him...Looks like he wanted to say Hi or something...
I was there...I am not a liar...HE HAS A BIG FAT CRUSH on her VERY apparent!!
After she was gone, his coach, who was practicing with him just looked at Rafa and laughed and shook his head...Then Rafa started laughing."
And then, a few posts after:
"It was as simple as this...He has a crush, he has said a few times he has had a crush and he was checking her out and didn't care who saw. I am sure his coach and his nurse and all his friends give him a bad time...Rafa did NOT make a joke...His coach laughed first and then Rafa laughed.
She didn't "ignore" him, she more like avoided looking at him to not disrupt him.
Is this specific enough? This is what happened people!!
She is VERY cute in person and she is a "big deal" and it's clear he has a crush..
But funny, alot of the male tennis players I had spoke to don't speak too highly of her.... Lips Sealed
That is ALL I am saying about that last statement, so don't ask."

I mean it's perfectly normal that he likes Maria, blonde, pretty.... but....SHE!! I mean... SHE!!! Rafa could hardly speak a few words in english... what are they going to talk about!! are they going to talk?!?!?! :crying2:

I know this should be at the girldfriend issue but... i'm desperate right now... MARIA!!!

At past versions of the NASDAQ-100 Open, when the cyclical scales of tennis tilted heavily in the women's favor, the withdrawal of the Williams sisters would have sapped this tournament of its buzz.

But with Venus attending to an elbow injury and Serena attending to her fashion/acting/lip gloss design/Hollywood hob-knobbing priorities, the former No. 1s are out. Oh, well. Shrug.

All the more reason to focus on the fascinating vectors of the top men's players, which could intersect in the quarterfinals. Federer, first in the world for 112 weeks now, is playing on a different plane. But then Blake, in the top 10 for the first time in his career, is fulfilling the potential projected for him. They are on a collision course.

If Federer keeps winning -- and he's on a 42-match streak in U.S. tournaments -- and if the befuddled Roddick finds the groove he misplaced eight months ago, they could meet in the semifinals.

On the other side of the draw, Agassi, almost 36, is making his 20th appearance in Key Biscayne, and it's probably his last. He's hanging on despite his aching back, but he's as frustrated as Roddick. If he can raise the level of his game, he might run into Nadal, who was born the year Agassi turned pro -- 1986.

TOO MANY ROUTS

Until then, the first week promises enticing matchups. Top to bottom, men's tennis is stronger than ever. The women have the same depth problem as their counterparts in college hoops. Too many early matches are like Duke's 96-27 dismissal of Southern in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament.

And too many finals are like Maria Sharapova's 6-1, 6-2 dismantlement of Elena Dementieva last week in Indian Wells, Calif.

The comeback of Martina Hingis is the best thing, in the past two years, to happen to women's tennis, which is brimming with comeback stories -- even Mary Pierce is, or was, back! -- but is devoid of up-and-comers. Next, we can look forward to the third -- or is it fourth? -- comeback of Jennifer Capriati.

Meanwhile, five men age 21 or under reached the fourth round in Indian Wells. Marcos Baghdatis, Andy Murray and Richard Gasquet are all transfusing new blood into the men's tour, which suffered for years with a boring parade of ball pounders.

Here, right off the bat, Nadal plays his best friend and Mallorca neighbor, Carlos Moya, today. Talk about a duel in the sun.

''Five minutes before the court, we are very good friends; five minutes after the court, we are very good friends,'' Nadal said Thursday as he twiddled with his long hair. "On the court, I respect him, he respects me. But [it] is the job, is the game, no?''

CHANCE FOR A REMATCH

A Nadal-Federer NASDAQ championship showdown for the second year in a row is not out of the question. Key Biscayne is where Nadal got rolling in 2005, as he was two points from upsetting Federer before the meister beat the capris off Rafa.

The blossoming rivalry between the Swiss stylist and the slashing lefty highlights the lack of a magnetic one on the women's tour. Nadal is 3-1 vs. Federer, compared to Roddick, who is 1-10 and clearly has a Federer complex.

Blake lost to Federer last week, yet he's the American with momentum. He attributes his rise to letting go of the perfectionist, to his maturation from his self-described ''bratty'' years. The old, tense Blake would have lost to Nadal at last year's U.S. Open.

''I don't go in trying to do too much, which at times before, I did,'' Blake said. "Maybe that was not believing I was good enough on my own.''

Federer has no confidence problems. He is the most politely cocky athlete in sports today. Rightfully so: At 24, he has won seven Grand Slams and is on the same Slam pace as Pete Sampras, who retired with 14. He has won 25 of the 36 tournaments he has played in since 2004.
He was once as bratty as Blake, but he has developed a scary serenity on the court, an ability to adapt to whatever strategy opponents throw at him, to outthink or outlast them. He's the No. 1 reason among many that men's tennis is back.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/14173515.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_sports

mallorn

03-24-2006, 06:54 PM

nou.amic :worship: of vr.com has translated this article from SPORT, a Spanish sports daily:
Moya vs Nadal: A duel between friends

By Neus Yerro for SPORT.es

They admire and respect one another but today, in Miami, there will be no place for sentiment. There are many vital points in play.... for both of them...

In recent times, their roles have been reversed. Just like the way they play, which is extremely curious: Rafael Nadal is right-handed but holds his racket with his left (when he was little, he used both hands but his Uncle Toni told him that the top players used one hand and he began to use his left hand)... Carlos Moya, who is left-handed, plays with his right.

Although the pupil has not yet overtaken his 'master' mathematically - the latter is ahead having been number one and finalist in the Australian Open and the Masters Cup - he is getting closer and closer. Like his mentor, Nadal has won a Roland Garros title, although Nadal did not even see Moya play his final. Like Carlos in his day, Rafa rouses passions wherever he goes and has become an idol for adolescents. It is usual for fans to mob not only the court where he is playing but also those where he practises.

Only two years ago, Rafa looked up to 'Charly'.... Now it is he who says that the 'pequeño' "has not stopped growing as a player", and that he is the example to follow. If there was anyone that had no doubt that Nadal would do great things for Spanish tennis, that was Moya. He was very sure about it from the very beginning. In 2003, after losing to him in Hamburg - when he was just 16 years old and Moya was in the top ten, Carlos proclaimed: "Soon he will be in the top-10." Time has proved him right.

Although he could have seen him as a 'danger' to him, a rival that could put him in the shade, 'Charly' decided to be his 'big brother' when Rafa joined the professional tour. He practised with him and says that "helped him to become a better player." " I was very soon able too see what standard was required as a professional and he gave me advice and encouraged me all the time... He will always be someone special for me and I will always be grateful to him," the player from Manacor unashamedly admits.

But that is not all. He has also given him some bad times, like in Roland Garros last year when Nadal had to walk through the players' lounge on all fours like a dog with Charly holding his accreditation card as if it were a lead - in front of everybody because it was during the first week! "We always make bets and I'm never ashamed when I lose, but this time he really made me sweat."

It is said that a long time ago Moya asked him if he would like to have a career like his and Rafa said no. "That's part of the legend but it's not true. I would be stupid not to want to have a career like his, but I want to be myself and get as far as I can with my own game," he explained. They are both happy about the other's triumphs. But, today, one will leave the Crandon Park court a loser, as they play each other again, for the fourth time on the professional tour. They do not often get to meet one another but, for them, each encounter is special...

it's just like if i was in the middle of nowhere................ am i in a nightmare ? please tell me i'll wake up soon :sobbing: :crying2: :hysteric: :bigcry:

i'll feel better when i'll see the interview

maty

03-24-2006, 09:21 PM

it's just like if i was in the middle of nowhere................ am i in a nightmare ? please tell me i'll wake up soon :sobbing: :crying2: :hysteric: :bigcry:

i'll feel better when i'll see the interview

it's unbeliveable,don't worry everything will be fine,we'll find out soon what happend

mallorn

03-24-2006, 09:22 PM

Very strange score...From the scoreboard it looked like Rafa was cruising in the first set and then either Carlos managed to play great or something happened to Raf :confused: . I hope it's not any sort of injury. :sad:

NaDALiTa

03-24-2006, 09:25 PM

it's unbeliveable,don't worry everything will be fine,we'll find out soon what happend

Q. It looked like you were in really good control after the first set. What happened?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, no, maybe I can't ‑‑ I lost my second ‑‑ the second game with my serve with 30‑Love and he play very, very good after. He play very good. For sure I didn't play my 100%, but he play very good, too.

I just want to say congratulations to Carlos because he play very good.

Q. The shots that you normally hit for winners today in the second and third set, they were not going in. Did you become a little too conservative? Did you take less risks after that?

But, no, I don't play that defensive maybe. He play very tough, and I play ‑‑ I don't play bad, but in every important point, in my 40‑Love, the first game in the third, I can't win, no. He play good, he play with confidence, and I don't play good the important moments. When I need my winner, the winner go out, or go in, always. And he play very tough.

Q. What is it like for you to play him? I know that you always admired him and everything growing up. What is it like to face him? Is it different from anybody else?

RAFAEL NADAL: For me is another match. Nothing special, no. Just, he is my best friend in the tour. I know him very, very good. He know me very good. Is not a special match, but is my best friend.

Q. You've played him three other times. Has he ever beaten you with a topspin lob? You broke him in the first game of the third set with a backhand topspin lob.

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. I don't know. Maybe in the first game he made the lob, but I don't know that if he want do the lob, no (speaking in Spanish).

BENITO PEREZ‑BARBADILLO: He doesn't know if he really meant the lob, or if he hit it wrong.

Q. How disappointing is it? I mean, obviously, you've played great here the last two years. Fabulous matches against Federer. There were a lot of expectations. Can you just talk about your feeling going out so early?

RAFAEL NADAL: Sure. I am not very happy, no. I lost in first round. So that's the tennis, no. Sometimes win, sometimes loss. So I try my hundred percent. My physical condition is not my best now, I think, especially after my (speaking in Spanish)...

BENITO PEREZ‑BARBADILLO: When he turned his ankle in Indian Wells.

RAFAEL NADAL: I have some problems when I play large points, when I go with strength to one side. But that's not a special excuse, no.

But he played better. That's all. For sure I am a little bit disappointed, but, you know, in three weeks I gonna play in Monte‑Carlo so I gonna prepare with my six senses for the clay season, no.

BENITO PEREZ‑BARBADILLO: Why six?

RAFAEL NADAL: (Speaking in Spanish).

BENITO PEREZ‑BARBADILLO: You have five senses, gonna add one more.

Q. How busy will your clay court season be? How many leadups before the French Open?

Q. Was he taking you off your pace today? Was he controlling the pace?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know, but I lost 6‑1, 6‑1, so the score say all, no (smiling).

FastScripts by ASAP Sports...

GonzoFan

03-24-2006, 10:22 PM

I was so shocked when I was following the match :eek: couldn't believe Rafa lost ... :bigcry:

I hope he'll be okay and now he will have some time to start training for the clay season :)

Rafa :hug: :hug: :hug:

RogiFan88

03-24-2006, 10:24 PM

Well done to Charly for getting revenge over Rafa fr Montreal05 R1 but poor Rafa must be in shock... oh well, he'll have tons of time to rest and start training for his fave season! Maybe he will ask for a WC to Valencia -- I'm sure Juanqui w be happy to have him there! ;)

NaDALiTa

03-24-2006, 10:33 PM

I was so shocked when I was following the match :eek: couldn't believe Rafa lost ... :bigcry:

I hope he'll be okay and now he will have some time to start training for the clay season :)

Q. How much did your win have to do with the way you played and the way he played?

CARLOS MOYA: Well, I think I played a very good match and the fact that we know each other very well is better for the one who has a lower ranking. In this case, it's me.

No, I tried to play my game. First match, you know, I didn't take many risks and I lost 6‑2. Then I decided to go for the point and to hit the ball hard. I guess he didn't play a great match, and I played great. So when this thing happens, you know, anything can happen.

Q. Carlos, Rafa was in earlier and said that he didn't want this to be an excuse, he wasn't trying to make an excuse, but his ankle was not perfect and he was a little afraid to run for some balls. Did you get that sense from him out there?

CARLOS MOYA: Well, not really. When you are playing, you just try to focus on your serve. I just, as I said, tried to play my game. Obviously, you never see Rafa losing 6‑1, 5‑1 or 6‑1, 6‑1, so probably something happened to him.

But, no, as I said, I just tried to play my game. You know, I know he had a problem with the ankle last week. I don't know how bad it was. You know, knowing that we were going to play each other, if I was winning the first match, I wasn't asking him how his foot is or how his ankle is. You know, I just tried to play and, you know, I think I played a good match.

Q. What do you have to do when you play Rafa? What is important to do?

CARLOS MOYA: Well, you have to play perfect. You have to wish that he is not gonna be at his best. I think today these two things happened (smiling).

Q. Do you try to avoid his forehand as much as possible?

CARLOS MOYA: Well, my weak stroke is my backhand, so if I play to his forehand, most of the times he's gonna come to my backhand. That's what I try to do today.

But I try to do this the last time we played and he beat me. So, you know, every match is different. Tactics not always work the same way.

But, you know, I just try to play well and I think I did.

Q. Do you feel a lot of pressure playing against somebody that you're close to, someone you're friends with?

CARLOS MOYA: Well, I think, obviously he has more pressure today. He is No. 2 in the world, I am 35. Look at the rankings ‑‑ he is going up, I am going down. We are from the same place. The situation is similar, the first time we played each other, he was 15 years old, I was No. 5 in the world, he was 100‑something. He was gonna have the pressure, I had the pressure. Today he had the pressure. I tried to take advantage of that. I knew that, I got to the court very relaxed. Although I start very bad, then I was able to play much better.

But for sure the pressure was on him today.

Q. On breakpoint in the first game of the final set, you hit a backhand lob. Was it intended, or did you miss it?

CARLOS MOYA: (Laughing). I wanted to do that. It was a great shot, but I wanted to do that. I meant to do that. It doesn't mean that every time I do that I hit such a good shot, but I wanted to do that.

Q. So there maybe was a little bit of frame on the ball when you hit it?

CARLOS MOYA: Not at all. No.

Q. You hit it perfectly the way you wanted to?

CARLOS MOYA: Yeah, too good. Much better than I thought it was gonna be.

But I meant to do that shot (smiling).

Q. How do you feel about the challenges?

CARLOS MOYA: I think it's great for the game. You know, I don't think it slows down the game. Just take five seconds to check what the ball is, and I think it's great. It helps a player to play much more relaxed. You know, I think it's great.

Q. Were you surprised that you were wrong on that challenge you made?

CARLOS MOYA: No, no. I mean, was a ‑‑ I mean, you have the chance to see how it is and, you know, it was on the other side. It was not clear that it was gonna be in, and I just tried.

Q. When anyone plays Rafa, the longer the rally goes, the more chance he has of winning the point. Today, your patience seemed to be there, you seemed to be waiting for just the right shot to play aggressively. Do you think that was the case today, more so than when you last played?

CARLOS MOYA: Yeah, maybe. But normally I like the points to be short and try to dictate with my forehand.

No, I was not patient because from my backhand side, I was okay, I was fine. I was feeling that I could put the ball in, down the line, crosscourt, and then hit winner with my forehand.

So I was waiting for that chance with my forehand and go for the point. But I don't know, today I was feeling comfortable. I wasn't afraid to keep the point going. I just wait for my chance.

Q. And there was the running backhand crosscourt passing shot in the third set.

CARLOS MOYA: That was a good one. I didn't hit with the frame. I meant that shot again (smiling).

So it's not that always is working that shot, but is one of these days that you feel comfortable with the backhand and with the forehand and whatever you do looks like is working well, so, you know, I was expecting this day and it happened today.

Q. When you hit a shot like that that you normally don't hit, are you thinking, "I can do anything today"?

CARLOS MOYA: More or less, yeah. I mean, you just try to hit shots that you don't normally do. It looks like everything is going in. So, you know, that gives you a lot of confidence.

Q. How close are you to your best? Can you get back into the Top 10?

CARLOS MOYA: Well, you never know. I wish I could play every day like this. But even when I was top 10, so many times I wasn't playing that well. I was having lot of ups and downs.

So, I think, this year I been playing very well, and I was unlucky that I had to play Safin last week first round. But, still, I played well.

Here, you know, I nearly went home the first day against Hanescu. So, you know, these things happens. I won that match. I play very well. Maybe I might lose next round, you never know.

But I'm happy the way I'm playing so far this year. I am 21 in the race, and still the clay court season to come. I am fit, I am in good shape. Mentally, I am fine. So you never know what could happen.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports...

mallorn

03-24-2006, 10:43 PM

From The Edmond Sun:
Nadal Loses to Moya in 2nd Round of Nasdaq

By STEVEN WINE
The Associated Press

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. —

Rafael Nadal squandered a fast start and lost Friday to mentor and close friend Carlos Moya in the second round of the Nasdaq-100 Open, 2-6, 6-1, 6-1.

The upset ended a streak of 22 consecutive wins for Nadal against fellow Spaniards.

Moya, the Key Biscayne runner-up in 2003, dominated the final two sets by serving well and coming to the net enough to keep Nadal on the defensive. Windy conditions seemed to bother the No. 2-seeded Nadal, who was uncharacteristically erratic with his groundstrokes.

Nadal lost to Roger Federer in last year's final, and his departure opens up the half of the draw already missing six-time champion Andre Agassi. The No. 10-seeded Agassi withdrew before his opening match because of chronic back trouble.

Moya, unseeded but ranked 35th, improved to 13-4 this year.

In women's play, No. 3-seeded Justine Henin-Hardenne was upset by Meghann Shaughnessy 7-5, 6-4. Shaughnessy never faced a break point and took advantage of 27 unforced errors by Henin-Hardenne.

"She played really well, and I wasn't at my best," Henin-Hardenne said. "I missed a little bit of confidence, so you play more neutral, more in the middle than going for the winners."

"They were both pretty special matches," Shaughnessy said. "This one is very special because I've been struggling lately, and haven't been playing my best tennis. So to go out and play a match like that against Justine, it means a lot to me."

Shaughnessy lost her first five matches this year but has gone 5-2 since.

He and Safin waited together in the locker room while the preceding match on stadium court took 2 1/2 hours to complete. Shortly before it finished, tournament officials paid Henman and Safin a visit.

"They said, `It's up to you. You don't have to play now,'" Henman said. "We're like, `Now you tell us. What option have we got? If we don't play, we're not going to sleep before 3 or 4 o'clock, and then we've got to play today and Saturday.'"

Several hundred fans were still on hand when Henman and Safin walked onto the court to a loud ovation.

"It was good," Henman said. "I think basically anyone on site is allowed to come in. They weren't going to be fussy."

The crowd dwindled, and by the second set, noise from the cleanup crews outside the stadium could be heard during rallies.

Henman took control from the start, chipping returns and charging to keep pressure on Safin. The Russian became increasingly frustrated and double-faulted on match point at 1:35 a.m.

"It's a better feeling to hang around this long and win than it is to lose," Henman said.

Safin's record fell to 4-3 this year. Coming back from a knee injury, the two-time Grand Slam winner was playing in only his fourth tournament since August.

Henman advanced to a second-round match against a player he has never beaten, No. 13-seeded Lleyton Hewitt.

"I'm 0-8. It's not much different from 0-9," Henman said with a smile. "So let's see what happens."
http://www.edmondsun.com/sports/feeds/apcontent/apstories/apstorysection/D8GI6GDO2.xml.txt/resources_apstoryview

16681

03-24-2006, 11:52 PM

I was shocked to see the score :eek: But I would guess it is hard to play against a close friend :rolleyes:

GonzoFan

03-25-2006, 02:39 AM

too bad , congrats for feña , it's a good job!!!!!!!!! :hug:

yeah ... too bad he lost :sad: but as I said before, now he can focus in the clay season where he has a lot of points to defend :scared:

Thanks :hug::hug::hug: after that terrible lost he had in IW I'm happy with his win today :)

rue

03-25-2006, 04:40 AM

I was really shocked to find that he lost the match. It is wierd to see him lose a set 6-1. I think that his ankle must have had something to do with it. He has got a few weeks to rest up and get ready for the clay court season. He will do much better there.

NaDALiTa

03-25-2006, 12:17 PM

yeah ... too bad he lost :sad: but as I said before, now he can focus in the clay season where he has a lot of points to defend :scared:

Thanks :hug::hug::hug: after that terrible lost he had in IW I'm happy with his win today :)

i'm happy too because wavrinka is tough for a 2nd round !!! Gonzo forehand is so IMPRESSIVE :worship:

Yes i hope he'll feel as good as last year on clay !!!! I just ask him one THING : keep the title in Roland Garros and Monaco .........so that he'll play the tennis Masters Cup !!!

*vamooos*

estrela

03-25-2006, 12:17 PM

I just found out that he lost :sad:
and it suprised me that he lost with that score

Well now he can get a good rest and training for the clay season

NaDALiTa

03-25-2006, 12:34 PM

I just found out that he lost :sad:
and it suprised me that he lost with that score

Well now he can get a good rest and training for the clay season

:hug:

veyonce

03-25-2006, 02:02 PM

He learnt his lesson not to force himself, a shocking result but better to recuperate than the possibility of sitting out the whole season..

KEY BISCAYNE -- If this was a bullfight, Rafael Nadal would have been down on his knees at 1-4 in the third set, the audience on the stadium court would have been chanting "Ole" and Carlos Moya would have tossed aside his red cape and moved in for the final thrust.

It wasn't the first stunning, early-round upset in the 23-year history of the Nasdaq-100 Open and its various other names. In 2003, No. 1-seeded Lleyton Hewitt was beaten by Francisco Clavet in his opening match and, the previous year, little Anna Smashnova shocked Justine Henin-Hardenne in the second round.

But this one will be particularly memorable because of the charisma that has grown up around the No. 2-ranked Nadal, the only player to have beaten Roger Federer this season and, for many, the one player who can take Federer to the wall, as he did in the final here a year ago.

On a day in which Justine Henin-Hardenne, the No. 3 seed in the women's tournament, was defeated by Meghann Shaughnessy, Moya played perhaps his best tennis in years and showed that, at 29, he's not quite ready for the far side of the hill.

"You have to play perfect and wish that he is not going to be at his best. I think today these two things happened," said Moya.

He didn't just defeat Nadal. He crushed him 2-6, 6-1, 6-1, swamping him in the final two sets and playing such great defense to go with his usual aggressive offense that Nadal was able to stroke only six ground-stroke winners -- an unheard of number for him in a three-set match.

Moya, unseeded with his ranking down to 35, advanced to the third round on Sunday with No. 5 Nikolay Davydenko, No. 6 Ivan Ljubicic, No. 15 Radek Stepanek and No. 16 Nicolas Kiefer.

There was one other upset. No. 12 Richard Gasquet lost to French countryman Florent Serra.

There were a few other significant wins. Australian Open runner-up Marcos Baghdatis won his second-round match; as did Americans Mardy Fish and Robby Ginepri; Jamea Jackson of Sarasota, who upset Gisela Dulko; and Sunrise Challenger winner Dmitry Tursunov.

Nadal's apologists will be rationalizing this loss by pointing to the left foot he sprained at Indian Wells a week and a half ago, and Nadal acknowledged he was feeling it. But, he added, "I don't want to make excuses."

A moment later, however, he was explaining that, "I didn't feel physically very good when the points got longer."

That could be because he was feeling fatigue in his ankle. It could also be because Moya was slashing forehands like he was 21 again, and because his serve was just about flawless in the final two sets.

"I know he had a problem with the ankle last week. I don't know how bad it was. If I was winning the match, I wasn't asking him how his foot is or his ankle is," Moya said.

Everything was working for Moya. You expected his forehand ground strokes to be strong, and his serve to be effective, but it was the other parts of his game that made the difference.

He played great defense, thwarting Nadal's heavy ground stroking. Usually, the longer the rallies, the less chance you have with Nadal.

"Today, I was feeling comfortable. I wasn't afraid to keep the point going. I just waited for my chance," Moya said.

He broke Nadal in the opening game of the final set with a backhand topspin lob -- the same stroke he used on the final point.

With Nadal serving at love-30 and 1-3 in the last set, Moya hit the shot of the match, a running backhand crosscourt pass. When you hit a shot like that, are you thinking, "I can do anything today?" he was asked.

He grinned. "More or less, yeah. Just try to hit shots you don't normally do. It looks like everything is going in, so that gives you a lot of confidence."

The win will send him against Argentine Agustin Calleri on Sunday.

If there was one American that desperately needed a win, it was Ginepri, who had slumped to 1-6 coming to South Florida after reaching the semifinals of the U.S. Open last September and taking Andre Agassi to five sets before losing.

"It's not really a relief, but it definitely felt good," he said after beating Kenneth Carlsen in straight sets. Beginning the season at No. 15 and with few points to defend, there were many that thought he would be top-10 by now. Instead, he's slipped to No. 21.

"It was in the back of my mind," Ginepri said. He says he has that problem squared away. He'll next play Christophe Rochus for a spot in the fourth round. He may yet reach top 10 before the French Open.

NaDALiTa

03-25-2006, 02:11 PM

He learnt his lesson not to force himself, a shocking result but better to recuperate than the possibility of sitting out the whole season..

the only thing i want is the pressure to fall down..........so that he could prepare himself for clay season peacefully................but i'm dreaming :confused:

NaDALiTa

03-25-2006, 02:37 PM

C. MOYA/R. Nadal
2‑6, 6‑1, 6‑1
An interview with:

RAFAEL NADAL

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. It looked like you were in really good control after the first set. What happened?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, no, maybe I can't ‑‑ I lost my second ‑‑ the second game with my serve with 30‑Love and he play very, very good after. He play very good. For sure I didn't play my 100%, but he play very good, too.

I just want to say congratulations to Carlos because he play very good.

Q. The shots that you normally hit for winners today in the second and third set, they were not going in. Did you become a little too conservative? Did you take less risks after that?

But, no, I don't play that defensive maybe. He play very tough, and I play ‑‑ I don't play bad, but in every important point, in my 40‑Love, the first game in the third, I can't win, no. He play good, he play with confidence, and I don't play good the important moments. When I need my winner, the winner go out, or go in, always. And he play very tough.

Q. What is it like for you to play him? I know that you always admired him and everything growing up. What is it like to face him? Is it different from anybody else?

RAFAEL NADAL: For me is another match. Nothing special, no. Just, he is my best friend in the tour. I know him very, very good. He know me very good. Is not a special match, but is my best friend.

Q. You've played him three other times. Has he ever beaten you with a topspin lob? You broke him in the first game of the third set with a backhand topspin lob.

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. I don't know. Maybe in the first game he made the lob, but I don't know that if he want do the lob, no (speaking in Spanish).

BENITO PEREZ‑BARBADILLO: He doesn't know if he really meant the lob, or if he hit it wrong.

Q. How disappointing is it? I mean, obviously, you've played great here the last two years. Fabulous matches against Federer. There were a lot of expectations. Can you just talk about your feeling going out so early?

RAFAEL NADAL: Sure. I am not very happy, no. I lost in first round. So that's the tennis, no. Sometimes win, sometimes loss. So I try my hundred percent. My physical condition is not my best now, I think, especially after my (speaking in Spanish)...

BENITO PEREZ‑BARBADILLO: When he turned his ankle in Indian Wells.

RAFAEL NADAL: I have some problems when I play large points, when I go with strength to one side. But that's not a special excuse, no.

But he played better. That's all. For sure I am a little bit disappointed, but, you know, in three weeks I gonna play in Monte‑Carlo so I gonna prepare with my six senses for the clay season, no.

BENITO PEREZ‑BARBADILLO: Why six?

RAFAEL NADAL: (Speaking in Spanish).

BENITO PEREZ‑BARBADILLO: You have five senses, gonna add one more.

Q. How busy will your clay court season be? How many leadups before the French Open?

As if losing Andre Agassi wasn't enough, fans at the NASDAQ-100 Open endured two tennis tremors on the ATP Richter scale Friday, and another on the women's side.

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal, the sculpted teenage sensation who last year took top-ranked Roger Federer to a five-set final before falling, lost his opening match Friday to fellow Spaniard and close friend Carlos Moya.

''That's what's great about combined [men's and women's] events,'' tournament chairman Butch Buchholz said. "You can lose an Andre and you still have a Sharapova, you still have a Clijsters, you still have a Federer. This is the product we need to put out for the sport.''

Among the top seeds advancing Friday were Mauresmo, 6-0, 6-0 over Samantha Stosur of Australia; Hingis (24), 6-3, 6-2 over Tian Tian Sun of China; and David Nalbandian (3) of Argentina, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-2) over Paul Goldstein of San Francisco.

Also triumphing was unseeded American Jamea Jackson -- 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 over Gisela Dulko of Argentina.

Moya's victory drew the most attention, as many NASDAQ-goers were hoping for the fiery Nadal to meet the low-key Federer in a rematch of last year's final. But after the first set, Moya got more aggressive and began to dictate play with plenty of topspin, lobs when it counted and repeated shots to the lefty Moya's weaker backhand side.

''The first [set] I didn't take many risks,'' said Moya, 29. "Then I decided to go for the point and hit the ball hard. I guess he didn't play a great match, and I played great.''

The 35th-ranked Moya, off to a hot start this year with a record of 13-4, is not only Nadal's mentor, but his best friend on tour. Nadal had won 22 consecutive matches against Spaniards, but a lingering ankle injury didn't help him hurdle 23.

''If I had to lose to someone I'd rather it be him of course,'' Nadal said. "But let me make one thing clear: the foot had very little influence on the match. If it had any effect, it was very small. The reason I lost is that he played better.''

As for Shaughnessy, who was ranked as high as 11 in 2001, the straight-sets victory over the injury-plagued Henin-Hardenne was her best NASDAQ victory since she upset then-world No. 2 Venus Williams in 2003.

''I played with a lot of energy and she's a player I have so much respect for,'' said Shaughnessy, 26, who won 77 percent of her first serves and 14 of 18 net points. "This one is special because I've been struggling lately and haven't been playing my best tennis.''

Henin-Hardenne said her ailing right knee didn't affect her game Friday.

''She played really well and I wasn't at my best,'' she said. "It's not easy to accept, but that's the way it is.''

The final match of the night, the most spirited, had Nalbandian fans waving Argentine flags and chanting ''Ole! Ole!'' and Goldstein fans screaming "USA! USA!''

Goldstein failed to take advantage of two match points while serving in the second set.

There was no slow build today, no chance to ease into things with a few of the obscure outer-court matches that make the early days at Masters Series events so exhaustively entertaining. I tried, but the grounds at Crandon Park were mobbed to the point where people were scaling fences and standing on garbage cans just to get a glimpse of Nicolas Kiefer and Fabrice Santoro. They like their tennis down here.

I did manage to walk into the main stadium at the right time. Rafael Nadal had won a routine 6-2 set over his mentor and fellow Mallorcan Carlos Moya. Nadal went up early in each of the first two games of the second set-once on Moya's serve, then on his own-but couldn't quite close the door on either of them. Anybody who plays tennis will recognize this dilemma. When you win a first set easily, the opening game or two of the second become that much more important psychologically-if your opponent wins just won game, it feels like you're back at square one. I got the point as a junior where I was giving away a couple of games in the first set just to avoid any chance of that kind of momentum swing. Not a tactic I would recommend.

Nadal lost those early games in weird, uncharacteristic ways, the points somehow falling just out of his reach no matter how well he set them up. And that's the way the rest of the second set went. Nadal had chances throughout, but the memory of those blown chances seemed to linger, and he pressed at the wrong times. On the other side, Moya clearly grew in confidence. He hit his backhand, his (much) weaker shot, well enough to fend off Nadal's crosscourt topspin forehand, not an easy thing to do. He won points both routinely, by poking backhands low to Nadal's backhand (a future strategy for others?), and spectacularly: Moya broke to open the third with a backhand topspin lob winner and finished the match in exactly the same way.

Nadal walked into his press conference sucking on a Gatorade, his hair completely covering his face. I thought he might be short with his answers, and he was. But it wasn't out of petulance. Even in broken English, he was incisive and direct in the way that smart athletes-as opposed to analysts-are about their games. He sat in a kid's pose, his bizarrely massive arms on the table and his chin down on his hands. Nadal said Moya was his “best friend in the tour” but this “is another match, nothing special.” When asked if Moya was controlling the pace, Nadal answered, “I lost 6-1, 6-1, so the score say all.” And he pinpointed the crucial moments early in the second set: “He play with confidence, and I don't play good the important moments.” This is not deep thinking, but it is someone facing the truth squarely, and at the same time not making too much of one defeat. That's as deep as a player needs to go.

The mens' side is now Roger Federer's to lose. Along with Nadal, Andre Agassi, Marat Safin, and Richard Gasquet are all out. In lieu of Agassi today, we got a doubles match between Andy Roddick and Robby Ginepri and Guillermo Coria and someone named Luis Manrique of Ecuador. The ATP thinks that if they can get top singles players to play doubles, fans will respond. The stars were there today, but the crowd wasn't. The stadium was nearly empty as people sought out side-court singles matches

Did they miss much? No, just one thing, really: Seeing Coria show off his hands at net. Otherwise, Roddick and Ginepri basically played singles next to each other, hitting big from the baseline. The major problem, and one reason doubles isn't popular with fans, is that there's so much less on the line. A professional singles match is compelling because it's a war with a real psychological cost. Doubles, on the other hand, is fun; it looks like a rec sport, not something you pay money to see. There's even less on the line when multi-millionaire singles players are involved. After Manrique drilled a ball into the back curtain to lose the match, Coria smiled and did a mock fist-pump.

OK, it's late in Key Biscayne and Paul Goldstein has just been announced to the blaring sounds of Survivor's “Eye of the Tiger.” The name of the band is appropriate, but not the part that goes “rising up, straight to the top.” (I'm not sure whether “the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night” works or not.) Goldstein is the preeminent journeyman, veteran, grinder, and mensch of U.S. tennis. He was the first person I saw at the hotel this morning (by himself), so I'll finish watching him get run around by David Nalbandian. It should inspire me to work harder tomorrow.
http://66.232.148.140/blogs/thewrap/entry.asp?ENTRY_ID=243

maty

03-25-2006, 05:51 PM

maybe he lost because of his ankle,he didn't want it to risk too much so he couldn't relax and he lost,but also maybe Carlos just played better and that's it

and besides he was probablly tired,i'm quite sure he'll do better on some other tournies

veyonce

03-29-2006, 02:01 AM

Extract from Steve Tignor's blog on Rafa during his press conference:
http://66.232.148.140/blogs/thewrap/index.asp
The Last Known Survivor
Posted 3/24/2006 @ 9:26 PM

Nasdaq-100, Key Biscayne
March 24, 2006

http://66.232.148.140/blogs/thewrap/images/2006_03_25_a.jpg

I did manage to walk into the main stadium at the right time. Rafael Nadal had won a routine 6-2 set over his mentor and fellow Mallorcan Carlos Moya. Nadal went up early in each of the first two games of the second set-once on Moya's serve, then on his own-but couldn't quite close the door on either of them. Anybody who plays tennis will recognize this dilemma. When you win a first set easily, the opening game or two of the second become that much more important psychologically-if your opponent wins just won game, it feels like you're back at square one. I got the point as a junior where I was giving away a couple of games in the first set just to avoid any chance of that kind of momentum swing. Not a tactic I would recommend.

Nadal lost those early games in weird, uncharacteristic ways, the points somehow falling just out of his reach no matter how well he set them up. And that's the way the rest of the second set went. Nadal had chances throughout, but the memory of those blown chances seemed to linger, and he pressed at the wrong times. On the other side, Moya clearly grew in confidence. He hit his backhand, his (much) weaker shot, well enough to fend off Nadal's crosscourt topspin forehand, not an easy thing to do. He won points both routinely, by poking backhands low to Nadal's backhand (a future strategy for others?), and spectacularly: Moya broke to open the third with a backhand topspin lob winner and finished the match in exactly the same way.

Nadal walked into his press conference sucking on a Gatorade, his hair completely covering his face. I thought he might be short with his answers, and he was. But it wasn't out of petulance. Even in broken English, he was incisive and direct in the way that smart athletes-as opposed to analysts-are about their games. He sat in a kid's pose, his bizarrely massive arms on the table and his chin down on his hands. Nadal said Moya was his “best friend in the tour” but this “is another match, nothing special.” When asked if Moya was controlling the pace, Nadal answered, “I lost 6-1, 6-1, so the score say all.” And he pinpointed the crucial moments early in the second set: “He play with confidence, and I don't play good the important moments.” This is not deep thinking, but it is someone facing the truth squarely, and at the same time not making too much of one defeat. That's as deep as a player needs to go.